02-585
Natchez Trace Parkway (AL,MS,TN)
Non-Duty Ranger Death
Ranger Jermaine Dossie, 22, passed away in the early morning hours of
November 13, apparently of natural causes. Jermaine had recently
converted to a law enforcement ranger position in the Ridgeland
District. He was hired by the park last June through the student career
experience program. Jermaine graduated with a BA in criminal justice
from Jackson State University in August, 2001, and from the law
enforcement academy at Colorado Northwestern Community College this past
September. He was enrolled in a criminal justice graduate degree program
at Jackson State at the time of his death. His co-workers are grieving
the loss of this professional, polite young ranger with so much
potential.
[Submitted by Jackie Henman, Assistant Chief
Ranger]
02-586
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (MO)
Special Event: Dedication of New Facility
Secretary Norton and Director Mainella visited the park on Veteran's
Day to officially open the park's newly-completed, 23,400-square-foot,
state-of-the-art maintenance facility. The $3.3 million facility was
built entirely with donated funds. Following the opening of the new
facility, they both toured the Old Courthouse and were briefed by park
management on current and future security plans for the Arch and on the
park's anti-terrorism program.
[Submitted by Rod Danner, Chief
Ranger]
02-587
Thomas Stone National Historic Site (MD)
Special Event: Visitor Center Dedication
A ceremony was held in October to open the new Southern Maryland
Heritage Visitor Center, the product of a unique partnership of federal,
state and local organizations, community organizations, and private
citizens. The state of Maryland provided $200,000 toward construction of
the center, which will serve as a visitor center for both the park and
the Southern Maryland Heritage Area. The program included speakers and a
brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new visitor center contains exhibits
from the state archives and from the three counties of southern
Maryland.
[Submitted by John Frye, Acting Chief of Visitor
Services]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Two Prescribed Fires Completed
Park fire managers completed the Hance and Watson Prescribed Fires, both second-entry burns, on the South Rim last week. The Hance Fire was started on November 6, when favorable weather, fuel moisture conditions, and winds from an approaching front created an excellent prescription window. Hand ignition was used to burn 600 acres. Aerial ignition was used for the 2,600-acre Watson Fire the following day. The Watson Fire was completed in one day. Smoke impacts in the inner canyon were minimal, but poor visibility caused temporary delays along the scenic Desert View Drive. The park's fire effects crew is scheduled to visit six monitoring plots located within the burned area to determine if fuel and vegetation objectives were met. Park staff also burned 250 acres of slash piles on the North Rim this past weekend. The piles were part of the Bright Angel Project, a mechanical thinning operation designed to reduce hazardous fuels and the threat of unwanted wildland fires in the North Rim developed area. Both the North and South Rim burns were highly visible and provided good opportunities to discuss fire's role in the ecosystem and fire's use as a tool to accomplish resource management objectives. Crews from Zion National Park, the Kaibab National Forest and the Southwest Area Fire Use Training Academy assisted. Other cooperators included the National Weather Service.
[Submitted by Donna Nemeth, Fire Information Specialist]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Morristown National Historical Park (NJ)
GS-9 STF Protection Ranger
The park is seeking candidates interested in a lateral transfer into a permanent, GS-9, subject-to-furlough protection ranger position. The ranger selected will be responsible for daily patrol by foot, vehicle and/or horse. The park has many resource issues that rangers address on a regular basis, including hunting violations, boundary management and protection of archeological sites. The park offers excellent training opportunities and a wide variety of traditional ranger duties. This is a required occupancy position; housing currently available consists of a one-bedroom apartment in a quiet area of the park. For further information, please contact chief ranger Gregory Smith at 908-766-6841.
[Submitted by Gregory Smith, Chief Ranger]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.